Sam Hughes Elected Student Government Association President

Newly elected SGA President Sam Hughes of Denham Springs, Louisiana.

A former Mississippi College Centri-Kid summer camper, Sam Hughes will become MC’s new Student Government Association president.

A 21-year-old political science major from Denham Springs, Louisiana, Hughes was elected on March 25.

Hughes eagerly looks forward to serving in 2021-22 as America gets on the other side of the COVID-19 pandemic. Many students on the Clinton campus, he said, “have not had the opportunity to see what a true year at MC is like. I am lucky in that I have been fortunate enough to see a full year uninterrupted by COVID.”

In-person graduations at Mississippi College return in early May after going virtual during the pandemic. Other major activities such as MC Choctaws football games, the 2021 Homecoming, December’s Festival of Lights, and other major events will be back on track, too.

“I am so excited to see what the next year holds and cannot wait to begin,” Hughes said.

The Louisiana native is part of a rich legacy of MC Choctaws in the family from the Bayou State. His parents are MC grads who married in Provine Chapel. His sister, Mary Beth Hughes, is a member of the Christian university’s Hall of Fame. A former Choctaws football sideline reporter, Mary Beth, works for FOX News in Washington, D.C.

Faith is a big part of Sam’s life – he’s a member of Pinelake Church in Clinton. In Alumni Hall, he accepted Christ as a 12-year-old Centri-Kid camper. Nine years later, Sam is poised to address the needs of students as the SGA leader.

“I want my fellow students to look at me not as the new SGA president but as a person they can come to, who will listen and do everything in his power to assist as best he can.”

Law school could be in his future. “I really would love to follow in Dad’s footsteps.”

Hughes will succeed outgoing SGA President Michael Washington, Jr., an MC Choctaws football standout from Collinsville in Lauderdale County. A mathematics major, Washington, 22, serves as one of the university’s Presidential Ambassadors.

Washington believes Sam Hughes will do an excellent job during the upcoming academic year. “Sam will do the job well. I am extremely proud of him for the hard work he has put in thus far. Sam has been an outstanding Chief of Staff.”

As Michael wraps up his one-year term, his focus is unchanged. He’s all about improving the Clinton campus in any way possible for students.

Other SGA election winners are Cole Benoit, vice president; Daniel McCammon, business manager of Alabaster, Alabama and Annie Marks, chief justice from Niles, Michigan. A resident of Carriere, MS, Benoit won a runoff on March 25.

Finishing his second year as vice president is Damon Wright, 23, of Hoover, Alabama. The Choctaws linebacker was elated to see the elections return to a traditional approach after going virtual last year. “We were essentially back to the old way of doing an election.”

Like they did a year ago, candidates posted campaign speeches on social media. A Derby Day in March allowed candidates to reach members of Mississippi College clubs and tribes. An in-person debate for candidates sparked interest in the 2021 SGA elections.